Inflammatory intestinal diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are intractable chronic diseases and the pathogenesis of such diseases still remains uncertain. Ulcerative colitis is non-specific diffuse inflammatory disease where the mucous membrance of large intestine, especially of colon is eroded and often results in an erosion or ulceration. Crohn's disease is granulomatous inflammatory disease accompanied by fibrosing or ulceration of any part of gastrointestinal mucous membrance. A medical treatment or surgical treatment can be applied for treatment of intestinal diseases. However, a medical treatment is preferable because recurrence of a disease is often observed after a surgical treatment. A medical treatment is classified as a dietary treatment and a medicinal treatment. A dietary treatment consists of parental nutrition and elemental enteral hyperalimentation. A dietary treatment does not stimulate the intestine and an prevent recurrence of a disease. For a medicinal treatment, steroids, salazosulfapyridine, immunosuppressors, etc. can be used, but known drugs in such field have side effects and the efficacy is not satisfactory. There have been many studies on a drug for treatment of inflammatory intestinal diseases, but a development of new drugs is still desired.
It has been already that bucillamine is a safe and very useful compound applicable for a therapeutic agent for rheumatic disease, cataract, diabetes, osteoporosis or cystinuria, a dissolving agent for sputum or a suppressive agent for liver disorders (Japanese Patent Publication; 11888/1985, 5388/1981, 13922/1987, 13964/1988, and Japanese Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication; 154721/1992, 154722/1922, 342524/1992, 186341/1993).